About ASHAsphere

ASHAsphere is the official blog of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. ASHAsphere is intended to inspire discussion about issues related to the fields of audiology and speech pathology, and features posts from a variety of authors, including communication sciences and disorders (CSD) professionals and ASHA staff. More Information.

This past month, my colleague Sean Sweeney (AKA @speechtechie) and I had the opportunity to join forces and write about AAC, apps and literacy development. Our article will be in the next issue of SIG 12: Perspectives in Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This gave us a great opportunity to discuss how AAC users can benefit […]

When a child who stutters demonstrates the ability to change his speech during a treatment session, it seems obvious that he’d want to use the same strategies to improve speech outside the session as well. Children, especially teenagers, rarely want to stand out in a way that stigmatizes them, provokes questions or increases the chances of teasing. […]

In August of this year, I was selected to be a part of The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America’s 2014 Intensive Training Institute, otherwise known as “Apraxia Boot Camp.” Twenty-four speech-language pathologists, including myself, trained with three mentors–Ruth Stoeckel, Kathy Jakielski, and Dave Hammer–at Duquesne University over four days. In its third year, […]

Sylvia Onesti Richardson, president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1973-74 and a passionate advocate for children with language and learning disorders, died in her home on Friday, October 24. A Tampa resident since 1980, she was 94 years old. Throughout her career, Richardson strongly advocated for children with learning disabilities and speech-language disorders: In 1949 she established at […]

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What’s the perfect recipe for ASHA 2014? Blend together science, learning and practice. Add a pinch of party and a heaping of gratitude. Watch it grow for generations. Like many SLP swallowologists, I’m a foodie. Expand that: I’m a bilingual (Spanish-speaking)-Canadian-American-Salsa-dancing-foodie-mama-dysphagia nut, ready for a stimulating convention getaway in Florida. Good thing ASHA has cooked-up a feast for the body and mind.

As a pediatric feeding therapist, it’s not unusual for me to get a call from a mother who says “My kid’s 14 years old and still eats only six foods. He’s so picky! I thought he would grow out of it.” True, with patience and consistent strategies, some kids do indeed grow out of the picky-eater […]

Treating clients suffering from voice disorders requires just as much creativity as treating any language or articulation disorder. It requires out-of-the-box thinking when a particular technique doesn’t work.

A recent ASHA Leader article by Peter Reitzes on treatment for preschoolers who stutter makes claims for the efficacy of some treatments that are both misleading and not evidence based – at least as far as published research is concerned.

ASHA 2014, here I come! I’ve booked my flight. I’ve texted friends and worked out transportation. I’ve got a place to stay! I’ve joined up with some of my blogging buddies and reserved a booth for the exhibitor hall. Most importantly, I’ve started picking out a schedule for the courses I will take in November. Here are seven sessions that I’ve chosen so far.